Ministry of Culture names four PTS board nominees

MAKING THE LIST:The Ministry of Culture said the four are experts in their fields and well-equipped to lead the PTS’ development. A review is scheduled for next week

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Culture yesterday announced four more nominees to serve on the board of the Public Television Service (PTS), which has not been able to convene for more than a year because of problems filling the board seats.

Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) said that the nominees were heavyweights in the fields of education, technology and communication, adding that they were well-equipped to lead PTS’ development.

According to the Public Television Act (公視法), the PTS board of directors must consist of 17 to 21 members.

The government has failed to meet the minimum requirement regarding the number of directors four times, and only 13 candidates have been approved so far.

The ministry said that Shih is a prominent figure in the technology sector, adding that it hoped that he could turn PTS into a leader in the nation’s broadcasting industry in the era of digital convergence.

It said that Tseng has devoted himself to the education system as former minister of education and former vice president of Academia Sinica.

Tseng has been a leading advocate of making educational opportunities available to residents in remote areas, it said.

In addition, he launched a reading initiative for children, and promoted science education for everyone, the ministry said.

With Tseng’s extensive experience as an administrator as well as an educator, the PTS would better reflect the concerns of the public, the ministry added.

Shao was an important figure in the formation of PTS, the ministry said, saying that he had recruited Cloud Gate Dance Theater founder Lin Hwa-min (林懷民), poet Yu Kwang-chung (余光中) and other heavyweights in the cultural and communication industries to help establish the nation’s first public television system.

Yao helped set up the DaAi TV network and his professional insight would help PTS become a pioneer in the broadcasting sector, the ministry said.

The ministry said that the review session for four nominees is scheduled for Tuesday next week.